Desperate rental seekers attempting to bribe Broome real estate agents as availability reaches all-time worst

Desperate rent seekers are attempting to bribe Broome real estate agents in an attempt to be “bumped up the list” and find a home quicker as the Kimberley town continues to be hit by an out-of-control housing crisis. One property manager said she had even received an offer to be personally paid $100 every week for six months if she found a woman she knew a place to stay. It comes as media rental prices in Broome surge past $800, which has prompted Shire president Desiree Male to call on the State Government to fund a multi-million-dollar housing package that would see 91 long-stay homes built to ease the pressure on prices. The issue has become so bad, local agents have likened it to book and film The Hunger Games, whereby randomly selected people must “fight to the death” by any means necessary. Real Estate Institute of WA Kimberley chair Tony Hutchinson told the Broome Advertiser sky-high rents only looked to get worse and it was a tough time for the region. “It is very sad, very rough up here, the cost of owning a property right now is so high, it is not like these landlords are making a fortune, they are doing what they have to in order to hold onto their property,” he said. “We are seeing up to 15 applications per home, before the crisis we would be lucky to get one or two. “It becomes an unsustainable market that is really difficult for people in town on an average wage.” Mr Hutchinson, who is also principal agent at Hutchinson Real Estate, said he had received a large number of “personal requests” from people desperate to find a home. “I am getting a lot of personal requests from people trying to retain their staff and these are people of great value to the Broome community,” he said. “Companies are hoping to move people here but there is nowhere for them to go. “Then you deal with people who are unhappy because there is nowhere to live for a reasonable price, which is understandable.” One Broome property manager, who did not want to be named, said an old friend told her she would personally transfer her $100 every week for the six months she would be in Broome if she could find her a rental. The woman said it was not the first personal bribe she had received, with a number of rental seekers making desperate attempts to secure a roof over their head. “It isn’t appropriate for them to be doing that and, of course, I would never do something like that, but for me it just shows how real the housing situation is here,” the property manager told the Broome Advertiser. The Broome Advertiser reported earlier this month Cr Male had urged Regional Development Minister Don Punch to help fund a $16.5 million Sanctuary Road Caravan Park, Key Worker and Over 55s Village, and that the time for talking about the issue was “well and truly over”.